Monthly Archives: October 2015

On September 14, 2015Allen Coggins was the Technical Society of Knoxville speaker. The topic of his presentation was “Some Intriguing Sylvan Factoids – some little known facts about Tennessee woodlands.” Allen has indeed assembled an interesting collection of factoids. Tennessee is indeed an unusual place.

Allen is a naturalist who studied Biology and Natural History at Middle Tennessee State University. He worked as a natural hazards planner with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA)(he did not plan the disasters-just what to do if they occurred) and developed a history of state disasters for the Tennessee Emergency Management Plan. Since retiring he has become an author and has published several books- including his new book on intriguing sylvan factoids.

Allen served as president of the Technical Society of Knoxville in 2005.

On September 21, 2015, Soren Sorensen gave his talkentitled“What Everything Is Made Of.”

Dr. Soren Sorensen is a Professor at University of Tennessee and head of the UT Department of Physics and Astronomy. He talked about the search for the composition of matter that has continued for centuries and is now down to understanding quarks (that is quarks- not quirks). And maybe understanding string theory.

On September 28, 2015 Robert G. Farrell and Holly B. Oswald of TVA reported on the current status of TVA policy decisions regarding what to do about the more than 1,800 non-navigable structures on 16 TVA reservoirs. Unlike traditional watercraft, floating houses are primarily designed and used for habitation, creating unique safety, regulatory and environmental issues that must be considered. The most likely option seems to be prohibiting new ones and grandfathering the existing ones with removal after some time period. Robert G. Farrell retired from the TVA Office of Environment and Research (OE&R) and he has been brought back to work on the floating houses.

On October 5, 2015. Guru Venkatesan will talk about “The U.T. Tech Carnivol.”

Students with a penchant for tinkering have an opportunity to shine thanks toTech Carnivol, a new event to be held during Engineer’s Day on October 22.
Tech Carnivol is an engineering festival designed and organized by UT students to help spotlight STEM education and its impact beyond engineering. It will feature competitions in robotics, business, coding, and computer security, and is open to all UT students as well as area high school students. The event will be “a Bonnaroo for science and engineering, with all sorts of fascinating and engaging events happening around you.”
Guru Venkatesan is a graduate research assistant in biomedical engineering and Tech Carnivol president.
Andy Sarles, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and faculty advisor to Tech Carnivol said the goal is to bring together and engage students from various schools and colleges in a fun-filled series of science- and engineering-related competitions. The festival will serve as a platform to the young and talented brains to showcase their skills while also serving to inspire and motivate high school students to hone in on their own education interests.

After the U.T. Tech Carnivol presentation there will be a member discussion to plan for 2016.

October 12: Columbus Day – no meeting.

October 19: Kasey Krouse “The Knoxville Urban Forestry Program”.

People come from around the world each year to visit the forests of East Tennessee. These forests are known for species diversification and brilliant tree specimens. The trees of East Tennessee help identify the region as thriving in natural resources and rich from the benefits those trees provide. East Tennessee is where northern deciduous forests meet the southern temperate forests, and various precipitation patterns occur over a range of altitudes which makes the City of Knoxville a perfect environmental canvas for a distinguishing urban forest. The city of Knoxville is making a serious effort to implement an urban forrest and this is an opportunity to learn about it.

On October 26 we will meet one of the Technical Society Ferris scholarship recipients. Dean of the College of Engineering Dr. Wayne Davis will introduce Ferris Scholarship recipient Stephanie Steren-Rutta.

Monday meetings

Where - Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive
When - Lunch buffet starts at 11:30 AM
Meeting starts at 11:55
Cost - $13.00
For more information, e-mail us at TechnicalSocietyofKnoxville@gmail.com

The Technical Society of Knoxville and its Mission

The Technical Society of Knoxville is a group of persons interested in technology and science, and their effects on society, and in particular, on the community. The Society was founded in 1921 by Charles E. Ferris, the first dean of the UT College of Engineering and a group of leading members of the community.
The hallmark of the Technical Society is its Monday Luncheon meeting. Every Monday, the program features a speaker on a subject of technical, scientific, or general interest. Forty-four meetings were held in 2009. It is estimated that some 3980 luncheon meetings have been held over the past 90 years. The presentations are planned to be informative and educational, and provide person to person contact with experts in the field. Meetings take place at the Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive in downtown Knoxville. Complimentary self parking is available in the hotel garage. Meeting attendees receive a token for exiting the garage without charge after the meeting. Members and guests begin arriving around 11:30am and go through the buffet line. Cost is $13 per person payable in cash or by check in the meeting room to the designated collector. Meetings are called to order at 11:50. After a brief transaction of Society business, the guest speaker is introduced. Normally, presentations take about 50 minutes. Time is usually available for questions from the audience. The meetings are adjourned at 1:00pm. Some programs are scheduled as professional development hours (PDH) to meet the State of Tennessee’s continuing education requirements for professional engineers. These PDHs consist of at least 50 minutes of prepared presentation with discussion reserved for the time after the meeting. The State Licensing Board does not pre-approve such hours and the TSK does not guarantee approval, but strictly meets the Board-specified requirements and issues a certificate of attendance. Monday meetings are announced in the Saturday’s or Sunday’s Knoxville News Sentinel Business Bulletins. Guests are welcome.
For more information contact the secretary, Bob Scott, at rrscott3@aol.com or 865-690-0705.